Leinart’s misfortune is Warner’s (last?) chance

By Chris Cluff  |   Thursday, October 11, 2007  |  Comments( 1 )

Arizona Cardinals
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It's hard to know what to feel about the latest development in the Arizona Cardinals' quarterback soap opera.

On one hand (let's call it the left), you have to feel bad for Matt Leinart, whose promising second season has been ended prematurely thanks to a broken collarbone. On the other hand (call it the right), you have to feel good for Kurt Warner, the 36-year-old former NFL MVP who gets another chance to lead the Cardinals to the playoffs.

It's quite a dichotomy of emotions.

Leinart certainly did not deserve this. Arizona's first-round pick last year, Leinart was supposed to be given the chance to take command of the offense this season and assert himself as a legitimate starting quarterback in the NFL. But he had suddenly found himself in a platoon situation with Warner, as first-year coach Ken Whisenhunt had used the veteran in no-huddle situations over the past three games. The timeshare had frustrated Leinart, who had been given the starting job early last season and -- like many of us -- thought it was his for the long haul.

Then the southpaw got hurt, breaking his left collarbone when he was sacked by Will Witherspoon in Arizona's 34-31 win over St. Louis last Sunday. Leinart was expected to be out for a couple of months, but the Cardinals suddenly put him on injured reserve Tuesday, ending what already had become a frustrating season.

Some think the move was made because Whisenhunt prefers Warner, who has more experience and has played better in the timeshare system over the past three weeks. Warner has completed 62 percent of his passes, with four touchdowns and one interception, while Leinart has hit just 54 percent, with two scores and four picks.

Warner started the first four games last season before Leinart was given the starting job by former coach Dennis Green. But Whisenhunt obviously thinks Warner can help the team -- he nearly rallied the Cardinals from a 17-point deficit to beat Baltimore in Week 3 and then played well in wins over Pittsburgh and St. Louis.

Putting Leinart on IR allows Whisenhunt to play Warner all the time, with no possibility of a quarterback controversy if/when Leinart gets healthy later this season. (Of course, if Warner leads the Cardinals to the playoffs, there certainly will be a QB quandary next year.)

Whisenhunt explained his decision to put Leinart on IR by saying he didn't want to hurry his recovery so as to bring him back too soon and that the roster spot could be used for someone who could play during the two months or more that the quarterback would have missed.

"We didn't want to rush him back," Whisenhunt told reporters. "To hold a roster spot for that long is difficult, with some of the areas we are banged, with the hope he can get back in time. I am more concerned about him trying to rush back and maybe jeopardize his future.

"Whenever you have a fracture, there will be six weeks or however long it takes to heal," Whisenhunt said. "And then, especially because it is his throwing shoulder, you have to do the rehabilitation of it throwing the football. Who knows what it could have been? Could have been 8 weeks, could have been 12 weeks."

Now it will be the season as Warner takes over. A surprising two-time league MVP in St. Louis before the Rams discarded him, Warner also was jettisoned by the New York Giants after one season (2004) and then was benched by the Cardinals early last season. Now he gets one more -- last? -- chance to try to quarterback the Cardinals to the playoffs.

Even though you have to feel bad for Leinart, you can feel good for Warner.
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About Chris Cluff

Chris Cluff spent 10 years as an editor and sportswriter for The Seattle Times. He was a key figure in the newspaper's coverage of the Seahawks, particularly during their Super Bowl run in 2005. He also has written two books on the Seahawks: "The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly: Heart-Pounding, ...
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